| How do civilized and just nations expect to maintain prosperity and safety if its illiterate and poor are frequently under correctional control? Compelling evidence is offered which shows that controlling crime through education may be an effective and economical method of reducing recidivism rates. One implication of this finding is that some policy makers might overlook reasonable opportunities to guide offenders once offenders are apprehended and sentenced. Guidelines are recommended to meet the demands of adult students who have an average of less than 44 months to serve and where 86% of prisoners tested below 11th grade levels. It is suggested that a collaborative educational governance should develop both secondary and undergraduate programs. These programs would facilitate completion of educational programs (as opposed to courses) at a faster pace and with greater curriculum consistency than traditional programs. Student-centered agendas and productive academic delivery methods are also recommended. Finally, to maintain quality in education and to measure what counts, assessing what adult learners know might be more important than measuring how much time they spend learning it.
|
Updated 05/20/2006